Review by Josh Piercey-Fisher
(as submitted to the Henley Standard)
A tale of magic, mystery…and a gorilla!?
Shiplake Memorial Hall played host to the 2019 SHADDO (Shiplake and Dunsden Dramatic Organisation) pantomime production of the magical and historic tale of Merlin and King Arthur. Co-directed by Gareth Jones, Rosemary Appleby and Cheryl Milne, the troupe chose a new, less traditional, narrative for this year's pantomime, but with the same tried and tested formula of eye-popping sets, sound-effects, singing, dancing, music, and magic – this was Camelot, but not as we know it…
Mordred the Merciless returns to Camelot in an attempt to usurp the throne from King Arthur by stealing the magical sword Excalibur. After failing in this endeavour, what is a maniacal foil to do but kidnap the King’s one true love, Lady Guinevere, holding her ransom in the cave of an oh-so-very scary dragon. Unlike the tale of old, Merlin is ageing and his magic ineffective, and the supposed valiant Knights of the Round Table are anything but, pre-occupied with dancing and polishing lances! Guinevere is eventually rescued, not by Knights, but by the Dame and the Jester. Fortunately their only adversary is a baby dragon with a cold, more interested in sleeping than slaying. Following the pre-rehearsed rescue (with Dame Gertie aptly in the place of the dragon) Mordred challenges King Arthur to a joust to the death, but unfortunately, due to a little known appendix in royal protocol, he has to settle for the King’s champion, the twinkle-toed Sir Dancelot. Chester the Jester has to quickstep in to save the day again, defeating Mordred in a hilarious joust on the back of his trusty and (with the help of Merlin) somewhat potent ostrich.
The panto was punctuated with memorable performances – Mark Manson as Mordred the Merciless was delightfully villainous and unabley helped by the hapless Port and Cullis, played by Ben Wilkinson and Katie Pentecost. Neil McAdam as an elderly Merlin still had a few tricks up his sleeve, ever the loyal and faithful servant to the pantomime’s voice of reason, King Arthur, played by Pandora Pugsley. What panto wouldn’t be complete without a damsel in distress and a dancing knight. Kitty Horne as Lady Guinevere and Luke Boughey as Sir Dancelot were on point in this crazy Camelot calamity. Right at the centre of events were the wanton and seductive Dame Gertie played by Simon Classey and the hilarious and pragmatic Chester the Jester played by Ellie Classey. Finally, no SHADDO pantomime would be complete without a dance from the ‘Fab Four’, this year delighting us with a medley of all things ABBA. The junior dancers from Berkshire and Henley Dance delivered captivating choreography that added a further string to the SHADDO bow. Every role in the production contributed to the highly enjoyable end result and the whole cast ably “tackled their roles with great enthusiasm and hard work” (director Gareth Jones).
None of the wonderful staging, lights, sound, makeup, front-of house, props etc. would have been possible without an 80 strong team, headed by SHADDO Chair Neill Wilkinson, of local people with a passion for panto. From a Gorilla magically appearing on a chair to a jousting Ostrich, the 2019 production of Merlin – the Spellbinding Panto had all the daft delight that one could hope for.
Huzzah!